ROUND SEVEN
CANTERBURY v NORTHERN DISTRICTS
Hagley Oval
14 November 2018
Result: Northern Districts won by four wickets
It was heartbreak at Hagley Oval as twin centuries went to no avail in a tough loss for Canterbury.
The pair had carved out a new second-wicket record for Canterbury of exactly 200, beating the mark of 189 thast had been held by former BLACKCAPS Blair Hartland and Llorne Howell in Timaru back in 1993/94.
However, a faster start and concerted team effort from ND saw the visitors chase down Canterbury's solid 307 for four with 10 balls to spare, led at the top by captain Dean Brownlie's 73.
The impressive victory was ND's highest successful Ford Trophy chase against Canterbury, beating a mark that had been set in the 2004/05 season, with the reborn Joe Carter and wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Bocock (above) sharing a new seventh-wicket record between the two teams.
The loss leaves Canterbury in last spot on the table, on nine points with three matches to go, but still in contention with Northern Districts (14 points), the Auckland Aces (12) and the Central Stags (11) all set to squabble over qualification. A maximum of 15 points is available to each team from the final three rounds.